Four New Jersey men and a juvenile were arrested after shots rang out during a football game Friday night, sending players and spectators running for cover, Atlantic County Prosecutors announced on Saturday.
Four New Jersey men and a juvenile were arrested after shots rang out during a football game Friday night, sending players and spectators running for cover, Atlantic County Prosecutors announced on Saturday.
Ibn Abdullah is in stable condition after undergoing surgery, and a 10-year-old boy was last listed in critical condition, authorities said. A 15-year-old boy who suffered a graze wound was treated and released from a nearby hospital.
Atlantic County Prosecutor Damon Tyner said in a statement that 31-year-old Alvin Wyatt was arrested and charged with three counts of attempted murder, unlawful possession of a weapon and possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose. Michael Mack, 27, Tyrell Dorn, 28, Shahid Dixon, 27, and Vance Golden, 26, were charged with unlawful possession of a weapon in connection to the shooting.
Authorities have not released the identity of the alleged juvenile offender.
The suspects all were spectators at the game between Camden High and Pleasantville. During the third quarter, witnesses said shots were fired into the stands.
The shooting, at Pleasantville High School near Atlantic City, continues a troubling nationwide trend of shootings at or around high school football games that stretches back to at least August.
"Unlike some of the shootings that have occurred on school premises throughout the country, this incident had nothing to do with the students of Pleasantville High School or Camden High School," Tyner said Saturday. "The venue simply presented an opportunity for criminals to pursue their own form of petty vengeance against one another. As a result, an innocent child was caught and injured in their crossfire. Our community will not be held hostage by a few idiots intent on jeopardizing our safety and the safety of our children."